As I enter deeper into the “disillusionment” phase of the new teacher cycle, I’m certain that there will be times in which I doubt myself and the systems in which I find myself. But it’s moments like these, in which students show that they are brilliantly capable of making sense of science on their own terms, that provide the islands of inspiration that I know will keep me going.

It’s an outbrief of sorts from one of the clinical interviews that I am conducting with specific case study students throughout the year.

I am a former aerospace research engineer who has committed to teach high school physics in the urban schools of Boston. This is a journey... I fully expect my views and opinions to change and evolve over time. I speak for no one but myself.